The fact that mobile phones have taken over the world of communications is no newsflash. Nonetheless, as evidenced by the few people who've canceled their landline service, most consumers don't trust cellular companies as sole providers yet. There are good reasons for this wariness: mobile service can be spotty, cell phone batteries can go dead unexpectedly, wireless calls can get dropped inexplicably. But, most importantly (and despite what cellular companies claim), wireless networks just don't have the clarity that landlines provide.

That said, nobody wants to return to the days of being tethered to a corded phone. Fortunately, there is middle ground: cordless telephones offer the best of both worlds by freeing you from cord tangles and by delivering high-quality calls devoid of missing digital packets and coverage gaps. How do you choose which cordless telephone is the best for you? Below is a discussion of the many features that should top your concerns.

The Basics

Now that many other technologies have gone wireless, one of the more important considerations for cordless phones is the technology that is employed. Due to the ubiquity of wireless networks, airwaves are very crowded with traffic nowadays. If you live in a metropolitan area, it is not unusual to have access to 15 wireless networks when sitting in your home. However, the integrity of cordless transmissions is not as affected by Wi-Fi networks as the reverse is true. In short, if you buy a 2.4GHz cordless phone, which will interfere with these networks, you might have excellent service but you will also have 15 angry neighbors. So, dear neighbor, you have two other options: 5.8GHz or 900MHz phones. Despite some people's belief, 5.8GHz phones do not provide longer range (bigger numbers don't mean better), but because the frequency was more recently adopted, the phones that employ it are generally better. But this isn't written in stone. There are definitely 900MHz phones out there that provide better range and clarity than 5.8GHz models. If you live in a rural area, you don't need to worry about wireless interference at all and you can find some real deals with 2.4GHz models.

How to Shop

Around the turn of the century, handsets started featuring built-in speakerphones, and thankfully this feature is definitely here to stay. An invaluable asset to anybody who spends a lot of time on the phone, handset speakerphones can decrease a lot of tension and anxiety. No longer is being put on hold or having to navigate automated services saves a tremendous hassle. Speakerphones also let multiple people enter a call with minimal fuss.

Security used to be a much bigger issue with cordless phones back when analog signals were the standard. But now that most transmissions are sent digitally, there are relatively few people with the time or desire (or the proper scanner) to break into other people's cordless telephone calls. Nonetheless, there are a few technologies that provide some peace of mind to the worried consumer. Spread Spectrum Technology takes calls and spreads them over numerous frequencies for transmissions. Once the signal reaches the destination (either the base station or the handset), the call is then reconstructed into its original and intelligible form. Another technique is Frequency Hopping. This method takes a signal and then hops it from frequency to frequency, so that an eavesdropper can only hear short snippets before the call jumps somewhere else.

Being that handsets are cordless, power is always an important consideration. Li-ion batteries provide the best performance because they drain their batteries at a slow rate, and then power suddenly drops off near the end. This method ensures that you get full performance until you no longer have a charge (and the unit suddenly stops working completely). With other battery types, you will notice that the quality of the call diminishes as the battery depletes. Ni-MH batteries are the next best option, as they are not as subject to the main problem you find in NiCd batteries--memory effect. (Li-ion are even less subject to this problem than Ni-MH batteries). Memory effect is caused when you recharge a phone before its battery has been completely drained. With NiCd batteries, the phone will "remember" the wrong position at which a battery is dead, resulting in a charge that is not full. After repeated rechargings of a less-than-drained battery, you'll receive only a few minutes of talk time before your phone stops working.

One big lament of the prevalence of mobile phones is the loss of a certain ability: memorizing telephone numbers. No longer do people have all of their friends' numbers imprinted in their minds; now they can just scroll and dial. If you're used to this method of indexing, it will be important have large phonebooks and Caller ID logs for your home phone, so you can easily access any number without digging out a Rolodex, day planner or a PDA. Another unexpectedly useful feature is last-5-number redial--Most people will be surprised by how few numbers they actually dial in a common week.

Due to the advent of voicemail, stand-alone answering machines are rarely spotted outside of 80s movies, but that doesn't mean that there aren't alternatives to the phone company's over-priced service. Purchasing a cordless system with a built-in digital answering machine still has a lot of advantages. Many models allow you to record memos. Others let you store more than one custom greeting and maintain multiple mailboxes. But, best of all, answering machines allow you to screen calls. So if you're unsure about who is calling or what someone is calling about, you can choose whether or not you want to pick up after they begin speaking. All of these benefits, of course, are yours without the $5-$10/month price tag (more, if you dump Caller ID too).

In the past few years, many consumers have begun to opt for cordless systems that offer multiple extensions. Most of these systems utilize a single phone line and let you space handsets throughout your home for easier access. These handsets can often be used for other purposes such as monitoring a baby or for paging people elsewhere with the intercom feature. Or, if you picked up a call that's for somebody else, you can transfer it to the handset nearest him or her and avoid the "It's for you!" scream.

The variety of phones on the market is influenced not only by what the phone can do, but also by who makes it. Though other companies such as Uniden occasionally offer flashy features, Panasonic has long been the best manufacturer of cordless phones. Their products generally provide superior range and a clarity for calls that is relatively unrivaled. Unless you have specific needs, if you're looking for a reliable and sturdy phone, Panasonic is one of your best bets.

Still, there are many things to consider when buying a cordless phone. As for most products, the best advice is to avoid buying something solely for the "wow" factor. No matter how good a single feature is, if the quality of your cordless transmission is lousy, you'll end up tossing out the phone. But if you pay attention to the features listed above, you should find a product that gives you reliable performance and access to features that will save you time, money and hassle.